Current Coat Care

Keeping a horse’s coat gleaming takes a lot of work, including regular currying and brushing, but I have a few other things in Eli’s grooming arsenal that help his coat stay shiny and healthy.

Annie’s Equine Elixir Coat Refresher
I won a bottle of the Coat Refresher in a contest hosted by Hillary, creator of Annie’s Equine Elixirs. Hillary wanted a natural solution to Annie’s sensitive skin problems, and mixed this one up to soothe Annie’s coat. This works so well on Eli’s problem areas, too. If he gets rubs from itching, the Coat Refresher alleviates the itch and restores healthy hair. I’m not sure what’s in it, but it works! It smells good, too, without being overpowering. I also spritz it on Eli’s hind cannons to keep the cannon crud at bay.

Espree Aloe Herbal Horse Fly Repellent Wipes
So glad I found these at Tractor Supply and for $5.99, why not give them a try? Eli is notoriously terrified of the sensation of fly spray landing on his coat, and these offer a great alternative for fly control during a ride. I am not sure how long this repellent works, but it seems to help at least for the duration of our rides, especially in the evenings when the bugs come out in force. I also feel comfortable using these wipes on Eli’s face and ears.

The Herbal Horse Tea Tree & Mint Shampoo
Eli doesn’t get a full shampoo bath very often, but I do use this shampoo more frequently, for washing his face, tail, and hind cannons. It’s gentle and soothing and I even use it on myself a few times a week.

Cowboy Magic Rosewater Conditioner
When Eli does get a full shampoo bath, I add some of this conditioner into the shampoo water to keep his coat from drying out or getting brittle. It’s also a great rinse by itself.

Probios Soft Chews
Any horse’s coat reflects gut health. Eli had been on a ColiCare-eligible SmartPak supplement that he decided he didn’t like the taste of much anymore, but I didn’t want him to go without any gut supplement all of a sudden. Probios Soft Chews are an easy solution, and I KNOW he is eating them. I give him 2 a day most days. The first time he ate one, I could tell he was weirded-out by the texture at first, but he clearly liked the taste, and now he eats them without hesitation.

I use a damp cloth — just a clean rag periodically dipped in a bucket of water to wipe away the dust. You could probably try a waterless shampoo, too, like Miracle Groom or try witch hazel from a spray bottle & wipe or brush off. I think some people use rubbing alcohol, but that can be a little too drying.

There’s really nothing else to do during this season with all the static cling, the super fine dust, and the long hair! I will sometimes take advantage of spraying fly spray to swish that around with a cloth and pick up some extra hair and spread the fly spray around a bit too.

When I wasn’t grooming very thoroughly this spring, I was really shocked at how much a good curry helps things along in the coat department! I won’t be regularly leaving it out of my regimen ever again! (And I scathingly judge people who do!!!)

Lots of good stuff here! My new guy came to me with…. Let’s just say coat problems. (Or you could fondly refer to him as a bucket of fungus like I occasionally do lol). I’m mostly focused on fixing it through good old fashioned elbow grease (currycurrycurry) but am also exploring opportunities to help him along a little lol

I used to use those pro bios too everyday until I read every word on the label one day and it said something along the lines of ‘not safe for everyday use’, or something like that. I freaked out, naturally, and switched to the Probios offered at the same store (TSC for me) in the non pellet form and were described safe for everyday consumption. Idk if they’re actually not good to feed everyday, but since Yankee had colic surgery I am not taking chances lol. Sadly, because they were so easy to pop in their PM ration of grain and not worry about it

Nope it was def the same bag. I read it again last night after reading your post to double check and make sure I wasn’t crazy, its on the back of the bag in fine print. It says feed 1-2 daily as needed but not intended for daily consumption, which leads me to believe its meant for supplementing things like traveling and showing.